I've spent 3 weeks reading tutorials and still can't keep it lit. Please help!!

kaboom · Sep 18, 2014

Hello everyone!!
This horse has been beaten to death and ressucitated countless times, but I just can't get a hold of it.
I've been smoking pipes on and off for a few years, and i've enjoyed most of them, but for the life of me i just cannot keep the damn things lit more than a few seconds. I've tried EVERYTHING suggested in the myriad tutorials and videos available online, and its just not working out for me.
I've tried tobacco fresh off the tin, with 1, 2, 3, 24, 48 hours of air drying, english mixtures, a couple of aromatics, straight virginia rubbed out flakes...
I've tried briars and corncobs.
I've packed from WAY too lightly to way too tightly and everything in between.
I've used matches, lighters, zippos
I've tried slowing down, but then its just impossible to take more than to puffs in a row.
I've tried tamping softly, tamping a little more forcefully, tamping often, tamping less often, not tamping at all...
Before you tell me that the problem is that i'm doing way too many different things, as of lately i've been smoking mostly a single corncob with a single mixture. A Missouri Pride with Vintage Syrian. I'm able to smoke through the whole bowl with perhaps a dozen relights. That's significantly less that it used to be but still intolerable.
I'm not obsessed with achieving a 1-match-to-the-bottom smoke, but I cannot do ANYTHING while i'm smoking, it requires all of my attention to keep the damn thing lit, and I have to smoke it fast enough that I get the feeling i'm permanently on the edge of tongue bite.
Also, even if i'm puffing harder and more often than i should, the bowl will get hot (although not worryingly so) but it will still go out the SECOND I set it down if i'm not constantly puffing and tamping. I though this would be from packing too loose. If i pack any tighter, its even worse.
AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH please help me!!! What am i missing? It cannot possibly be this hard!

jessicac · Sep 18, 2014

I had that problem initially. What I found helped me in determining the best packing is to test the draw. When you pack and before you light, just sip. If there's any blockage, just repack. Beyond that, the spiral method works great when I'm at home.

newbroom · Sep 18, 2014

Go see someone who smokes a pipe. Ask them to smoke a bowl with you. You might learn what it is you're not doing correctly THAT way. Keep trying, because, it does work.

kaboom · Sep 18, 2014

a couple more details that i forgot to include on my first post:
it seems that the ember, or the tiny, pitiful excuse for an ember that i seem to be able to muster, stays in the middle and the edges hardly ever burn, creating a crater in the center. I have to mess with the pipe tool and tamper (tamping GENTLY) to get all of the tobacco to burn.
The spiral method I haven't tried yet, I will tonight.
I've just become a member of a pipe club, i'll ask one of the members to sit down with me and patiently walk me through the process
thanks for the responses!

eightywon · Sep 18, 2014

Maybe try some Prince Albert or Carter Hall. Easily available at many drug stores and stays lit very effortlessly.

antbauers · Sep 18, 2014

Welcome!
Don't get discouraged. I think sitting down with your fellow pipe club member is a good idea. Keep at it, you will develop what works for you. Hope you come back and let us know how it went.

cobguy · Sep 18, 2014

If you have access to fellow pipe smokers then that is your best bet.
Always start with a "charring" light. That is, don't try to ignite the tobacco at first

but rather "toast" the top evenly, lightly tamp after a couple char lights and then go for ignition.

Don't tamp too often but, when you do, tamp at an angle from the sides in. That helps push the unburned tobacco

towards the center.
Patience is key and you'll pick it up in no time if someone can sit down with you and smoke.
Good luck!

phil67 · Sep 18, 2014

Well, you've certainly got a plus going for you seeing that you belong to a pipe club so that should help immensely. As someone else suggested, try out some Price Albert as that baccy won't go out if you smoked it while taking a shower. Not that you necessarily have to stay with that tobacco, but it just might be helpful and it's rather good and I usually smoke about one bowl of it a day. Trust me... you'll get there. :wink:

marcdimaria0 · Sep 18, 2014

I'm new to the site as my friend KABOOM and I'm completely lost, I do not know where to start or if I should introduce myself before all or participate in the discussion directly. I want the first links I should see, thank you :?

philobeddoe · Sep 18, 2014

KABOOM, where are you located, in what country and if in the U.S., what state? I'm sure there is a forum member near you that would be happy to help walk you through the basics.

mso489 · Sep 18, 2014

Let me see. First, you have to relax. Don't think of this as a struggle, but as a gradual learning process. I think the Carter Hall or

Prince Albert suggestion is a good one; these are easy blends to keep lit. But also, let a few pipe bowls of that dry out overnight in

a bowl or open jar. Dry stays lit better. Gentle tamping between lights is fine, to get the ash to settle, but don't overdo it. When you

stop feeling so pressured, I think the whole process will come along nicely.

grouchydog · Sep 18, 2014

First, welcome to both Kaboom and MarcDemaria0!
Second, listen to MSO - this should be relaxing, although as a fellow newb I fully understand the frustration level that can happen.
Regarding the down-the-center burn, I've experienced that as well. I've found that a good, solid charring light or three followed by tamping to a nice even top can help that. Also, when you tamp during the smoke, try to tamp toward the center of the bowl such that you're building a mound- or hump-shaped top to the tobacco. That works for me.

monk · Sep 18, 2014

Hi Kaboom,
First off, if you are smoking aromatics, they are inherently harder to keep lit because they are moister (with oils). You can try letting the tobacco dry out by leaving open its container for a few days.
I pack according to a method I first learned in 1967 when I first started smoking pipes: fill in thirds with first third packed with the pressure of baby bear, second third with mama bear pressure, last third with papa bear pressure – all the while pressing evenly across the surface (uneven packing creates channels through which air will flow, not allowing air flow through more tightly packed areas). Drawing air through the pipe should yield a TAD of resistance (as if drinking water through a straw).
Light it minimally (just enough to get it smoking) and smoke it till it goes out; tamp it very lightly and relight and smoke it in a comfortable pace until it goes out. Again, tamp it lightly and relight. As you tamp the ash down, you can probe the edge of the tobacco mass and if you notice it significantly packed against the sides of the bowl, loosen it away from the sides, tamp lightly, and relight. I usually find that, to a slight degree, the tobacco adjacent to the bowl burns a bit more slowly than that in the middle – but of course, it is not subject to even heat or air flow.
I do not make a conscious effort to keep my pipe lit (nor my cigars when I smoke them). I enjoy my smokes leisurely, sometimes puffing more frequently than others and, therefore, sometimes having to light my pipe more often than at other times. How often I have to relight my pipe is not an issue for me – I just light it when it needs it - and it needs it several times as I am smoking.
In any event, bear in mind that, generally, the looser the tobacco is packed, it will light easier, burn faster, and burn hotter.
Monk

tinkertank · Sep 18, 2014

The less you worry about it, the better you'll get. That was my problem when I started six months ago, I was always worried about everything. These guys have given a lot of good advice,a lot!. Mine is to just relax a bit, and enjoy the ride. If relights happen, they happen.

metalheadycigarguy · Sep 19, 2014

Well my suggestion is to stop reading tutorials and start smoking your pipes more. As they say... "practice makes perfect." :mrgreen:
Seriously though, just relax and keep at it. It will eventually come to you. If you can sit down with an experienced pipe smoker like others suggested then maybe you'll see where you might be having an issue. Good luck!

kaboom · Sep 19, 2014

Hi everyone! first off, thanks very much for all of you advice!
I am checking the draw of the pipe before lighting it, and i've had it packed from completely loose to a rather constricted draw. Since I dont have a properly packed pipe to compare against, its hard to tell when the resistance is just right. I have applied the "sucking soda through a straw" mantra, even while holding a soda in my other hand, to no avail.
Unfortunately i'm Spanish (and located in Spain) so Prince Albert and Carter hall are out of the question, but i've read everywhere that they're excellent beginner's tobaccos and will definately be including a couple of pouches in my next online order. This also means that I can't quite meet up with an experienced forum member to learn me the ropes, but hopefully this will be remedied in the pipeclub.
Im also not smoking any aromatics at all at the moment.
I always do a charring light. Sometimes more than one. Even then I find it hard to get a good, big, even ember going.
I am also tamping softly from the edges inwards towards the center. I have to tamp very often just to keep it lit, but i'm not further compacting the tobacco, just softly crushing the ash and pushing the ember into contact with the tobacco benath it.
A lot of the tobacco i'm smoking is in tins that have been open for a while, so its not too moist. I always do the pinch test to see if strands are sticking together. I try to smoke it as dry as possible without it getting crispy. If the blend i'm going to smoke is even a little bit moist, i'll air it out, often overnight.
I've tried several packing methods but right now i'm sticking to the classical three layer method. Gravity fill to top, pack down halfway. Gravity fill to top, pack down to 3/4, gravity fill slightly over the top, pack down to just under edge of rim.
I have no trouble at all keeping my cigars lit, and they seem to last me significantly longer than to most smokers on average, so i take that as an indication that i'm smoking slowly and correctly.
I'm also a little concerned that i'll screw up the briar if i'm smoking a pipe and it becomes unsmokable halfway and i have to dump the contents out, since you're supposed to build cake from the bottom up.
I guess as a lot of people on here said, I'll just relax and keep at it. I'm also thinking of getting some cheaper but decent tobacco and keep filling and smoking bowls, and dumping the contents out inmediately and trying again if not able to keep it lit at least a reasonable amount of time.
The main trouble i'm having at the moment is as follows: The pipes that i do manage to keep lit for at least more than 15-20 seconds between puffs, i do by having to constantly tamp to keep the ember in contact with the tobacco. If i don't tamp every 3 or 4 puffs, it goes out. I take this as an indication that the pack is too loose which causes the strands not to be in close enough proximity. However if I pack any tighter, it then becomes impossible to keep it lit at all...
Oh well, onwards to smoking bliss!!!

numbersix · Sep 19, 2014

Welcome Kaboom! You're not alone in this. I've heard of long time members on this forum say that they often will do multiple relights.
And when I hear of people in slow smoking contest that can keep an average sized pipe going for 2 hours, I am amazed. From my personal experience, I find that it is a combination of a
1. well drilled pipe

2. properly dried tobacco

3. careful packing (not too tight, not too light)

4. get a good light going from the beginning.
When all 4 come together, I have great success. Mind you, there are people who can manage a long smoke with few lights with mediocre pipes too. I chaulk that up to experience.
But in the beginning, it pays to pack slowly and carefully. And you might want to do what Sam says:

Put a pipe cleaner in your pipe while you are packing it. This will keep the tobacco from blocking the draft hole and you can pack tight without worry of blockage.

Also, different tobaccos require different packing methods. I often smoke a ribbon type tobacco. If I don't break it up well, there are often chunks of fused tobacco that won't lit easily.
And finally, have you tried this packing method?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XHYPso7TXs

yaddy306 · Sep 19, 2014

Try a gentle sip, but a looooong sip, like 5 seconds or longer. "Puff" is a big misnomer, as far as I'm concerned.

ravkesef · Sep 19, 2014

Kaboom and Marc--first of all, welcome to the forum. You're amongst friends, and reading through what has been said before, you've been given lots of good advice by people who know what they say. All I can add to that is that you keep at it. Clearly, there are many of us who enjoy pipe smoking, and we can do it while we're engaged in all sorts of activities. After a while it sort of becomes a natural thing to do, without much in the way of conscious effort. And yes--even for us the pipe goes out occasionally and needs to be relit. Relax, enjoy your pipes--they were meant for pleasure, and before long you'll be an expert giving advice to others.

gamxiaoyuan · Sep 19, 2014

I believe fellows above have offered enough suggestions.

I came across same problems at the begining...After a while, I realize the biggest problem is tension.That said, the more nervous you are, the easier your pipe goes out. It's the point that most "mentors" miss to tell beginers and it's hard even we are told.

So my advice would be don't even care about the relight. Turn on some music, lay down on a comfortable couch and enjoy the tobacco. Also, let the pipe goes out when the moment comes.

After a while, you will find the relights get less and less frequent automatically.

At this stage, there is nothing you can do, to be honst.However, do remember, get relaxed!!! That's key of reducing relight!

I've spent 3 weeks reading tutorials and still can't keep it lit. Please help!!

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